Equity grading bans inflate diplomas

When districts ban 'No Credit' grades and push 'equitable' grading or expanded online credit recovery, diplomas can become easier to obtain even as standardized achievement holds steady or falls. That policy mix creates a local politics of success (higher graduation rates) that may mask declines in readiness for college and careers. — This frames a specific policy lever—district bans on failing marks and reliance on credit recovery—as a driver of misleading graduation statistics with implications for accountability, labor markets, and state testing policy.